The safe pair of hands

The man heading the inquiry into intelligence assessments in the run-up to war is every inch the perfect Whitehall mandarin.

Lord Butler, 66, is urbane and politically astute. He glided up the ladder to head the civil service during the turbulent John Major years, but is remembered for his failure to get to the truth in some of the biggest scandals.

As Cabinet Secretary to Mr Major, the ex-Harrow head boy was called on to investigate-sleaze allegations against a string of Tory ministers including Jonathan Aitken, eventually jailed for perjury.

The claims about Aitken were first published by The Guardian, whose editor Peter Preston later revealed how the minister suggested that Lord Butler, then Sir Robin, was the right man to get to the truth.

Preston recalled: "Butler (an honourable, desperately busy man) hadn't had time to 'investigate' anything. He had merely asked Aitken to assure him everything was okay."

Lord Butler also headed the inquiries into MPs Neil Hamilton and Tim Smith, both accused of taking money from Harrods owner Mohamed Fayed.

Mr Hamilton assured him he had taken no money from Mr Fayed, and Lord Butler left the room - only to be sent back by Michael Heseltine to ask whether Mr Hamilton had taken money from Mr Fayed's lobbyists.

The report to Mr Major on Mr Smith prompted the premier to decide he should go, albeit some days later after further allegations.

No one doubts Lord Butler's integrity but on his appointment as Cabinet Secretary in 1987, he was described as "an establishment man".

For some, his keenness to please his political masters will leave a question hanging over the inquiry: If his report finds no one was to blame, will anyone believe it?

The MPs joining Lord Butler - members of the intelligence and security committee - are Ann Taylor, and Tory Michael Mates, a former chairman of the defence select committee. They will sit with Lord Inge, a former chief of the defence staff, and Sir John Chilcot, former permanent secretary at the Northern Ireland Office.